So what if David Letterman apologized to Sarah Palin and if she did accept his apology? Apology, aschmology…in American politics, some people can’t turn down a chance for some good ‘ol, fashioned hate.
Who could pass up chance to chance to attend a bona fide, “Fire David Letterman” rally right after he apologized and Palin accepted his apology?
Apparently hundreds of people (but who wants to quibble about that?).
To be sure, it wasn’t a rally as impressive (15 people) as what we’ve seem this week see in Iran and if the media had not been there (35 people) it wouldn’t have gotten much media play (perhaps a special wide angle lens like the one some suspect the government in Iran is using to bloat images of the pro-government rallies could have been useful: then it would have looked as if 50 demonstrators had showed up).
The folks outraged about Letterman making an inappropriate and they felt hateful joke actually turned out to be terrific role models — for what graduating high schoolers and college students who want to discuss politics might aspire to not become as they staged what The Huffington Post called a “hatefest.” Here’s a tiny taste of the bile 4 U:
Among the more alarming lines of attack — particularly given that the rally was held because Letterman supposedly made a joke about Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter Willow — was that Letterman’s son Harry was born out of wedlock (he recently wed Regina Lasko after dating for over a decade).
“Should we talk about his son?” one protester asked Green. “I believe his son was born out of wedlock. I believe there’s a term for that.”
“Is someone making jokes about his child?” asked another. “Especially, you know, when he had a daughter out of wedlock himself” (he didn’t; 5-year-old Harry is his only child).
“How dare he?” asked yet a third, the most offensive of all. “When he has a bastard son, and a slut for a wife” (Letterman’s wife Lasko has kept a notoriously low profile).
…..Other conservative talking points thrown around at the rally included, “Close the borders!” and “I only watch Fox News,” as well as the general sentiment that Jay Leno is a better host than Letterman.
Go to the link, which also has a video.
But be sure to hide impressionable kids who you hope might grow up to be able to discuss disagreements without foaming at the mouth.
On the other hand, kindergartners and preschoolers might relate to a video showing a bunch of angry big kids with wrinkles who feel that if someone calls you a bad name, you respond by screaming about it — then turn around and call them a bad name, too.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.